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LightSquared GPS interference cited in FCC decision

GPS advocates have been bringing complaints to various congressional committees. | AP Photo

Critics of the broadband company have raised questions about the ties between Falcone, and the company's chief executive, Sanjiv Ahuja, and the administration. The broadband company has rejected those claims as patently absurd pointing to all the Washington push back and the fact that Falcone is a registered Republican.

LightSquared, established in mid-2010, purchased much of its airwaves from SkyTerra, a company that integrated satellite and terrestrial telecom technologies into one system.

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“LightSquared can oppose the FCC moves and seek more time for commercial deployment, but we doubt it will succeed,” Christopher King and Dave Kaut, telecommunication analysts with Stifel Nicolaus, wrote in a research note to clients. “It could also pursue litigation, but we’re skeptical the courts would reverse the FCC, backed by the administration and bolstered by recent congressional legislation, on a matter implicating national security and aviation safety, at least anytime soon.

In a public statement LightSquared released Tuesday evening “profoundly” disagreeing with NTIA’s findings, the company hinted once again that it might pursue legal action.

“The company fully expects the agency [FCC] to recognize LightSquared’s legal rights to build its $14 billion, privately financed network,” the company said in a statement that preceded the FCC’s damning ruling by just a few hours.

Based on independent evaluation of recent testing and analysis conducted in the past months, NTIA Chief Larry Strickling wrote the FCC on Tuesday concluding that no practical solution exists to the interference problem and that “the time and money required” to upgrade and replace GPS devices in the public and private sector “cannot support the schedule deployment of terrestrial services proposed by LightSquared.”

While it may be cold comfort to LightSquared now, the FCC indicated that it would be addressing receiver standards — an issue that has been at the crux of the interference debate.

"This proceeding has revealed challenges to maximizing the opportunities of mobile broadband for our economy” such as “receivers that pick up signals from spectrum uses in neighboring bands,” Sun said. “There are very substantial costs to our economy and to consumers of preventing the use of this and other spectrum for mobile broadband.”

Even committed supporters of LightSquared recognize that this is the end, at least for now.

“While it is possible that a way forward may emerge from the comments in response to the FCC's public notice, it would appear that LightSquared will not fill this need for wholesale access any time soon," Harold Feld, legal director for Public Knowledge, said in a statement.

Without the prospect of LightSquared moving forward, Feld is pushing the agency to move forward on receiver standards. "This development makes it all the more imperative that the FCC continue its work on GPS receiver standards, so that this valuable spectrum can ultimately be used to meet our ever-growing demand for terrestrial wireless services," he added.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 12:18 p.m. on February 15, 2012.

Readers' Comments (20)

The FCC finally was forced to consider the problems it created with regard to the waivers to its own regulations that it provided for free to Lightsquared.

It's too bad for Lightsquared that the FCC led them on for so long. A lot of money would have been saved if the FCC tested FIRST, before issuing waiver approval.

The FCC of old would have done that, when it was run by professionals at the very top. But, Julius, Obama's college buddy, does things a bit differently, it appears. In a 'shoot first, ask questions later" strategy, Julius prevented the Lightsquqared waiver from going to the full FCC commission, and pushed it through himself. He deserves total blame for this situation. Lightsquared was complicit however, I hope to soon NOT have to listen to their continuously deceptive P.R. that spews from the company.

The FCC finally was forced to consider the problems it created with regard to the waivers to its own regulations that it provided for free to Lightsquared.

It's too bad for Lightsquared that the FCC led them on for so long. A lot of money would have been saved if the FCC tested FIRST, before issuing waiver approval.

The FCC of old would have done that, when it was run by professionals at the very top. But, Julius, Obama's college buddy, does things a bit differently, it appears. In a 'shoot first, ask questions later" strategy, Julius prevented the Lightsquqared waiver from going to the full FCC commission, and pushed it through himself. He deserves total blame for this situation. Lightsquared was complicit however, I hope to soon NOT have to listen to their continuously deceptive P.R. that spews from the company.

Light Squared - another Obama campaign bundler payoff goes bad! Why do we continue to waste money on losers just because they give Obama BIG Donations! I am heartened to see POLITICO waking up to the Obama corruption and the BUNDLES of cash and loan payoffs going bad. Where is our Governmental transparency? When will Congress wake up to all of the Loan Guarantees, subsidies. grants and payoffs to Campaign Cash Bundlers?

One Honorable Air Force officer speaking out about the dangers of interference from LightSquare GPS to aircraft - A man pressured by the Obama administration and Falcone and company. Falcone is a registered Republican who since 2008 gave only to Democrats and Independents and in 2005 Sen. Barack Obama invested $90,000 in LightSquared ( then named Sky Terra). YEa, all is good and Honorable in D.C.

Sanjay Wagle was a venture capitalist and Barack Obama fundraiser in 2008, rallying support through a group he headed known as Clean Tech for Obama.

Shortly after Obama’s election, he left his California firm to join the Energy Department, just as the administration embarked on a massive program to stimulate the economy with federal investments in clean-technology firms.

Following an enduring Washington tradition, Wagle shifted from the private sector, where his firm hoped to profit from federal investments, to an insider’s seat in the administration’s $80 billion clean-energy investment program.

He was one of several players in venture capital, which was providing financial backing to start-up clean-tech companies, who moved into the Energy Department at a time when the agency was seeking outside expertise in the field. At the same time, their industry had a huge stake in decisions about which companies would receive government loans, grants and support.

During the next three years, the department provided $2.4 billion in public funding to clean-energy companies in which Wagle’s former firm, Vantage Point Venture Partners, had invested, a Washington Post analysis found. Overall, the Post found that $3.9 billion in federal grants and financing flowed to 21 companies backed by firms with connections to five Obama administration staffers and advisers.

Yet another example of wasted tax dollars. Why aren't these companies having to prove their feasability and marketability before receiving these enormous government handouts?! Oh, because Obama is determined to pick the winners, and he doesn't know he doesn't have the ability to fool the market. Green technologies will never stick until they are viable competitively, and in the meanwhile Americans are hurting while Obama is deliberately keeping cost of living high through keeping gas prices high. He has this oil-drilling moratorium ostensibly for the environment but we're instead buying from countries with far less stringent standards than our own. So that doesn't make sense. Domestic oil means jobs, a growing economy, and lower cost of living. Especially after the exposure a couple months ago of Obama's domestic oil exports in the past three years (found at CNN Money) at a time that our domestic gas prices are so high, one must wonder what Obama's really going for. If he cared about the economy or jobs, he'd lift the oil-drilling moratorium and allow domestic oil to be used domestically. Prices would plummet, we would have spending money! If on the other hand, this is about the environment as he'd like you to believe, why do you believe we're saving the environment when we're instead buying oil from hostile, human-rights violating countries with less stringent environmental standards then our own? That doesn't fly. It must be the ensuing economic hardship driving citizens of the United States to turn to their government instead of relying on themselves. In other words, he's laying the building blocks of socialism despite the failure of socialism everywhere in the world where it has been implemented. Do you really want to follow in the footsteps of the EU?

If any of this is news, consider your sources of information. You've got to read both right and left anymore to get a good idea of what's going on because both sides leave stuff out.

Obama and friends have milked this cash cow and the taxpayers just about dry on this one. But there is still some cash to pay the overpaid executives for a few more quarters. Wouldn't it make more sense to return assets to the taxpayers and let the private investers eat a bit of this?

Let's see, yet another Obama bundler seeking millions from us and this adminstration instructed a sitting military general to lie about the cause and effect of Lightsquared. And the media continues to yawn.

Interesting that Politico couldn't be bothered to mention the Obama ties and political pressure his admin brought to bear, in this one-sided story. Oh! That would have put Obama in a bad light, and we certainly can't have THAT! Goodness gracious no.

Yet one more example of Democrat brilliant ideas. Like "Midnight Basketball" and similar absurdities. Democrats are raiding America's treasury to pay off their political buddies. Political favors, payoff, corruption. America has had enough.

As i understand from reading the gps is not the only thing we should be so concerned about , the hike in signal can cause other problems and it to should be noted yet it is not ,

Note, was not world war two partly fought over the concerns of what the Wilress systems could do , there have been so movies made indirectly about it, valkyrie is just one of them...and Hitler's mouth piece.

How many cases of Mental Illness is so related to & is misdiagnosis for such things of ,Obama looked to Romney care to bring about Obama care , Obama care & Appointed FDA Margaret Hamburg, who in 2009 refused to hold the makers of such things as or ban Doctors from using or recall the use of mercury used in dental work known as Amalgam Note: those “silver fillings” aren’t silver. Its mainly mercury ! Time released poison! Information call "1 651 644 4572" "dams@usfamily.net"? or send 4 imfo @ DAMS 1043 Grand Ave, #317 St Paul MN 55105 hazards links reads as views of? Epidemiological research for causes of Gulf War Syndrome for those with Amalgam Gulf war syndrome unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses and undiagnosable illness & ADHD Schizophrenia etc, I am just wunder of the people Obama is seeking to push for force care to buy how many are misdiagnosis with related IIlnesses , as like misdiagnosis thyroid problems such as constipation, insomnia, tremors, frequent bowel movements, excessive sweating, joint pains!

Another Matter to be of with worries should be as with the worries as with the Hike in signal would be Obama care Appointments Actions in the same years so passed and should have not http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M... .